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« Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story » Responsibility Code: Keep it Cool and Simple, says ResearchBy  Buller is research director of Klein Buendel, the firm in Golden, Colo. that prepared the "Sun Smart" campaign on proper use of sunscreen for the National Ski Areas Association. That campaign features a poster of a raccoon-eyed fellow grimacing from a sunburn, with the headline: "Don't be roadkill!" In the same vein, he thinks that resorts need to pare their Code to a manageable number of points in order to be memorable and obeyed. Skiers and riders "never look" at the standard slope signs or responsibility code messages printed on the back of lift tickets. "Change the damn sign once in a while!" he exhorted listeners recently at the Northeast Summit meeting in Bretton Woods, N.H. "If you're just imparting knowledge, it's not enough. It's easy to educate. It's difficult to put (safety precautions) into behavior," Last spring Klein Buendel did a presentation of safety message considerations beyond sunscreen to the NSAA Education Committee. Afterwards it was invited to present its ideas at this fall's regional meetings at Bretton Woods, Tahoe, Taos and Copper Mountain, as well as a meeting of the Ski Areas of New York. "We really would like to see people attempt to use some of these principles in safety on the mountain. We certainly see things that can be improved -- not just dealing with speed, but also with hypothermia and frostbite -- to achieve a reduction in some of the risk," Buller told The Industry Report. What's successful in imparting a safety message? Credible people, repetition, consistency, smarter signage, addressing the perceived risk with some fear but not too much, and the suggestion of a feasible way to behave that fits with everyone's routines. If you were looking for a celebrity to deliver safety code messages, who would you choose? he asked in New Hampshire. "Snoop Dogg," someone in the audience shouted. The rapper might work well if he skis or rides "for those who think a lot about him," replied Buller. Celebrities area good "if the person's relevant" and someone resort customers respect. The best person would be a ski patroller or instructor, as long as he or she is not a 60-year-old on skis in a terrain park. "Peers do a good job," he said. Women are "a little better" than men when it comes to counseling young males, he added, noting that Picabo Street has been used in the "Lids on Kids" promotion. Buller added that even having lift ops talk to skiers and riders, communicating information about risk and safety, would be useful. If you must, frighten them (as in "Don't Be Roadkill") but do it to motivate them and take care with fear, or listeners will perceive you are overestimating the problem. You cannot say flatly, "don't take risk" because "actually this is a risky sport, and you market it. You sell risk," he said. If your message is too fearsome, people will think "they're just trying to scare us." Code messages such as the National Ski Patrol's seven-point statement, which is widely reproduced, are too long; ask customers how many they can identify without sneaking a peek, and they may recall three. Keep it simple, said Buller, by picking out the most important messages. Then, give customers something they believe will reduce the risk, such as a helmet. And keep your message consistent and clear. A phrase such as "be aware of changing conditions" is too ambiguous. "You have to simplify it and make it more personally relevant -- 'what weather conditions do I worry about?'" he said. Finally, disseminate the message through a variety of smartly chosen channels besides slopeside signs and on-slope personnel. The Internet is key, he said. Younger skiers and riders read big newspapers less and less, Buller's research found. They believe stories rather than statistics. However, they are great users of interpersonal channels, such as myspace.com and blogs. Myspace.com is a social networking site -- an online community where users can connect with and share information, photos, journals and interests with similarly minded people. Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. last month reached agreement to buy Intermix Media, the Los Angeles-based parent company of myspace.com, for $580-million. Once someone signs up for myspace.com, he or she can start a group centered on a specific interest. Snowboarding is among its popular sports and recreation subjects for groups. "There are an awful lot of young people on those sites," Buller said. NSAA asked his firm to include information in its presentation about how blogging and/or social networking sites make positive or negative impacts on the industry. Buller said he could not emphasize enough the importance of the Internet as a vehicle for transmitting safety and risk communications. "This is the medium of choice," Buller declared. And the message should be more than "My pipe is bigger than yours." Although Klein Buendel is not aware of any resort that has actually begun to implement ideas such as the ones Buller suggested, he toldIndustry Report he had gotten interested feedback from attendees. "We've had a few people talk about specific issues, such as how communicate with young adolescents (9-12 year olds) who may or may not be paying attention to signage,” he said. One idea was to bring up risk issues during instruction. As for seeing results of simplified and more graphically exciting Code signs, Buller pointed to what he believes is the success of the "Don't Be Roadkill" sunscreen campaign, where it has been reported anecdotally that there has been a reduction in sunburn. "It's got to be a culture wide shift," he said. "There is no reason to believe it would not cut down on accidents." « Previous Story | The Industry Report Home Page | Next Story » Comments
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Posted by: Kevin McQuillan | April 4, 2006 04:48 PM
